State Senator Mary Washington (Democrat from the 43rd Legislative District of Maryland) says, “Information citizens give to Census takers or what is put on forms online or mailed in is totally confidential.”

The 2020 Census is a simple numbers game; the more people who are counted, the more funds Baltimore City can get for its citizens from the federal government.

So far, since March 12, when the first Census mailing went out, 57.3 percent of the nation responded on its own, while 61 percent of Maryland residents have supplied their information and 46.8 percent of Baltimore City residents self-responded either by mail or online.

The Census Complete Count Committee has set goals for how many residents it hopes to count: 68 percent for Baltimore City, 70 percent for the state and 80 percent for the country.

The next phase of the 2020 Census will involve various strategies: stickers on boxes going out from food distribution centers reminding folks to mail in or do the online census form, phone banks city residents and grants to local community based organizations to remind community residents to turn in completed census forms.